Sarah Golightly Course 3 Blog 3—Soft Skills
Effective Oral and Written Communication
Students wrote an
anti-bullying skit. These will be typed
and submitted through Itlearning. One of
the ultimate goals was for my students
to be confident speakers when standing before an audience. My fourth period is extremely outgoing and
few people were reluctant to express opinions before a group of their
peers. What was needed was restraint of
negative opinions when others were performing.
The students did try to memorize their lines and that helped to add to
the authenticity of each skit, but more practice was needed.
Though I was unable to hear
each student read their book on bullying aloud, I feel certain the
communication was effective, for no one complained and over forty people were
involved in the activity.
Time Management
I would say that ninety percent
of this group turn assignments in on time.
Brochures on bullying and the power point of celebrities who had been
bullied were quickly completed by the majority of the class.
In order for children to
develop soft skills, a strong example must be before them each day. Words do help, but actions speak louder. Students need to see the strong work ethic,
the curiosity to learn more, initiative, positive teamwork, etc. Hopefully, on
days when we are so very worn, the children still benefit from our tenacity.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteSoft skills are so important for our students. Sometimes, i know that I have taken them for granted thinking they should already be prepared for these things. During collaboratively discussions with other teachers, I have learned that students are the weakest in this. Most of the concerns have been they struggle to work collaboratively, time management, dealing with conflict or even getting presentations. This is one area our school wants to focus on so that we can build a school wide culture with this.
I agree that students need to see these soft skills modeled every day and have numerous opportunities to practice them. It sounds like you modeled and provided opportunities for them with this unit. I'm impressed that 90% of your students completed the assignment quickly; motivation to complete assignments in an appropriate amount of time is uncommon in some of my students, especially in my CP class. How do you motivate your students to complete the task quickly? Do you tell them a specific time as a deadline? Do you post a countdown on the board?
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI am thankful that your students have a strong leader in you and that you were intentional about the topic of this pbl unit because the research process and the pbl products students created required understanding and application of soft skills.
Thank you!
Dawn